Video: The Bat-Vet Is Buckwild

When the Batman first made his appearance in the Detective Comics series in 1939, no one could have imagined the incredible popularity this tragic hero would achieve over the next few decades. Today, Batman is one of the largest movie franchises in the world, and the trilogy of most recent films have become deep philosophical metaphors for everything from shredding the social contract (Bane’s anarchy) to the prisoner’s dilemma (the Joker’s ferry-bomb plot).

But that stuff is too deep for most people. Most of us are into Batman for the villains, the explosions, and most importantly, the Batmobile. Batman’s popularity has led many individuals to recreate Bruce Wayne’s ride in real life, sometimes taking creative liberties to keep the vehicles, you know, legal.

This is one such ride. Found at the Mid-Atlantic Mega Meet this past weekend, the “Bat-Vet” isn’t a doctor for winged rodents but a C3 Corvette customized front to back as a tribute to the Batmobile. Which Batmobile in particular, we’re not sure, though the only Batmobile to ever be based on a Corvette was found in Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman” and 1992 “Batman Returns” movies.

Yet this C3 Corvette bears little resemblance to the turbine-powered Batmobile of Tim Burton’s Gotham. Sure, it has some huge rear wings, a flat black paint job, and a very conspicuous Batman logo on the door, but this is clearly more of a custom job done on a shoestring budget. Still, pretty cool how Batman continues to influence our culture and our cars. If you could take any brand new car and turn it into a modern Batmobile, no budget limits whatsoever, what would it be?